Longtime South Dakota State University men’s and women’s swimming and diving head coach Brad Erickson has been named the 2016 recipient of the Benjamin Franklin Award by the College Swimnming Coaches Association of America.

Erickson will be presented his award during the CSCAA Annual Banquet Thursday in Washington, D.C. The Benjamin Franklin Award is presented annually to an indivdual whose efforts best promote the integrity and enhancement of the student-athlete idea.

The longest tenured coach in South Dakota State University history, Erickson recently completed his 40th season at the helm of the Jackrabbit swimming and diving programs. SDSU turned in a runner-up finish  in the women’s division at the 2016 Summit League Championships, while the men’s team placed third.

A 1974 graduate of SDSU, Erickson has overseen a successful transition from NCAA Division II to Division I competition, which began during the 2004-05 season. He has led the Jackrabbit women’s squad to a second-place finish at the Summit League Championships in six of the last seven seasons, while the Jackrabbit men have earned a pair of runner-up finishes. At the 2011 Summit League Championships, Erickson was named women’s coach of the year after SDSU placed second. He added Summit League Men’s Coach of the Year honors to his list of accomplishments in 2012.